January 22, 2018
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Pam Bondi is highlighting recent progress in the state’s efforts to test the backlog of sexual assault kits. The latest Sexual Assault Kit Progress Report, published this week by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, reports that 6,161 previously unprocessed kits have been tested. As of December 2017, DNA from these kits have produced 1,461 CODIS hits. This latest progress report shows the state is on track to reach its goal of processing 8,600 kits by June 2019.
To view the most recent progress report, click here.
In 2015, Attorney General Bondi gathered law enforcement, prosecutors, victims and state lawmakers to advocate for state funding to process Florida’s thousands of untested kits. During the 2016 legislative session, Attorney General Bondi helped pass legislation to provide an initial $2.3 million for testing and additional funding to raise the wages of lab analysts, purchase new forensic testing equipment and upgrade existing lab equipment. Additionally, as of July last year, Florida law requires all newly collected sexual assault kits to be processed by the laboratory within 120 days of receipt.
